


I am not afraid anymore (on hold)

by A_R_Nicoletti



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angry Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Tony Stark, Bath Sex, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood and Injury, Bottom Tony Stark, Child Abuse, Dom Bucky Barnes, Dom Steve, Dom Steve Rogers, Dom/sub, Fluff and Angst, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Hurt Tony, Hurt Tony Stark, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure Tony, M/M, Mating, Minor Character Death, Multi, Past Character Death, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve, Protective Steve Rogers, Soulmates, Sub Tony, Sub Tony Stark, Tony Angst, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, Tony-centric, Top Bucky Barnes, Top Steve, Top Steve Rogers, Vampire Bucky Barnes, Vampire Sex, Vampire Steve, Vampire Steve Rogers, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-15 12:18:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17528576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_R_Nicoletti/pseuds/A_R_Nicoletti
Summary: "There, as Tony lay, looking up at the dark of the trees and stormy sky, he knew he could go on no longer. His eyes slid shut, and Tony stark went still."Tony is young, but he has not known kindness in a long time. Broken and bleeding out, can immortal vampires Bucky and Steve put the pieces back together and give Tony the life he never knew he could have?





	1. Storms abound

**Author's Note:**

> In which there is a surprising lack of vampire fics in the stuckony category so I decided to write my own!  
> Not beta-edited so pls forgive mistakes it's like 10pm I've had a draining day.

He couldn't breathe, hell, he could hardly see. His hands shook from where his hands gripped onto his favourite stallions reins tightly. Jarvis let out a quiet whinny and Tony swallowed hard. The weather had turned for the worst since he had taken off, run away from home early that morning.

It was now night, and if it wasn't for the fact that Tony was well and truly lost, he would probably have turned right back around and trudged straight into his fathers cruel grasp. The rain continued to pour around him.

He hadn't stopped since he'd packed his stuff and ran in the early hours before dawn, while Howard was passed out from too many drinks and a satisfactory beating. Tony knew the riding he'd done, the miles he'd put between himself and his father, has reopened his wounds countless times. They were shoddily bandaged and he was probably bleeding out too.

The forest here was thick, but not thick enough to protect himself and Jarvis from the rain. All he needed was a cave or a small dry patch under a large branch to protect them, but time was running out and Tony didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

His hands and legs were going numb.

He slumped forward in the saddle, groaning as he nearly impaled his stomach on the horn. It would be so very unfortunate to die out here after finally getting away from his father.

22 years he had lived, his mother had died when he was 12, murdered in a fit of rage by his father. Not that anyone in the town knew, his father had grieved and claimed Tony's mother had slipped down their stairs and that he had come home to find her dead and bleeding out at the foot of the stairs, her blood splattered on the walls and banister. Tony was the only one who knee that Howard had been the one to hit and push her down the stairs. At 12, he spent the night on his hands and knees cleaning her blood, and at 12, his fathers rage had turned from his mother, to him.

His mother had told him how his father had once been a brilliant man. Inventive, intelligent, and she had fallen in love with hid quick thinking and iron will. Everything changed when people stopped believing in his ideas after a few faulty experiments.

Tony inherited his fathers brains, perhaps was smarter, he saw the errors in his fathers work, knew where the man had gone wrong. Howard hated it.

Tony tilted in the saddle and Jarvis let out a noise of alarm, staggering a little as he tried to keep his rider in place.

Jarvis was Tony's horse, a gift from his mother when he was 8. Howard pretended the horse didn't exist, Tony loved Jarvis with every inch of his being. Jarvis had become his best friend, pretty much his only friend in fact.

"Easy boy" Tony muttered weakly, patting the spooked stallions soaked hide.

"We gotta find somewhere to rest" he clenched his teeth, using his dwindling energy to push himself upright.

The problem was how dark everything around him was, he could barely see a foot in front of them, and with the heavy rain fire was not an option. Tony felt panic seize his heart again.

"Dammit all" he panted.

For the first time since he dusted himself of the floor the night before, he allowed himself to cry.

The wind howled around him, chilling his already frozen frame.

Even Jarvis's body heat was doing nothing to help anymore.

Tony searched around him desperately, wincing as Jarvis stumbled and his side tore, feeling the hot press of blood warm his side again. At this rate he would end up with infection, it wasn't looking good for him.

Tony pushed himself off of Jarvis, letting out a high pitched sound of pain as all his muscled tried and failed to work, sending him tumbling to the ground instead.

There, as Tony lay, looking up at the dark of the trees and stormy sky, he knew he could go on no longer. His eyes slid shut, and Tony stark went still.

 


	2. Blood scent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short chapter but it's like past 10pm now let me live 😭

Steve watched the storm roll in from the safety of the mansion with a heavy heart. He didn't know why he felt so wrong, but he knew his mate Bucky was feeling it too.

"Something isn't right" he muttered as the dark haired man wrapped his arm around Steve's waist and pressed a kiss to his neck.

"I know Doll, I feel it too"

Together they watched out the window, tense and waiting. Night fell properly and the storm pelted rain against their window, dousing everything in darkness and cold, wet misery.

"The wind sounds like it's in mourning" Wanda commented from her seat across the lounge, looking out a window closer to her.

Steve turned his head, a solemn look on his face.

"Do you sense anything?" He asked gently.

Wanda was immortal like them, but unlike them she wasn't a vampire, instead, she was a kind of fae, one of the few remaining. It had been 40 odd years since they found her dying in an abandoned, war ransacked town, struggling to survive.

She shook her head. "Only deep sorrow and loss" she whispered.

The many occupants of the room all turned to face out the windows, and the wait continued.

"Steve-" Clint began from his position at Coulson's feet somewhere in the large lounge, but Steve's head snapped up as he took a deep breath, and like that he was off.

Bucky growled and Natasha hissed out his name questioningly.

"It is incredibly faint, but the smell of blood is in the air" He pushed through gritted teeth, and then he too was off.

Bucky caught up to Steve in the downpour outside, the blonde man staking through the tree's quietly as the near-diminished scent got a little stronger. Rain usually washed away all the scents around them, but this one stubbornly clung to the forest, and they could tell it was human blood.

Soon, over the thundering of the rain and storm, they could hear heartbeats. One strong and large- an animal of some sort- and a smaller, weak one, the human one.

They sped forward, drawn in by the intoxicating scent.

The sight they stumbled upon however, had their own hearts dropping.

"Buck" Steve called out, voice strangled.

Up against the roots of a tree laid a small human, bleeding heavily, bruised and unconscious. A horse, saddled and holding meager provisions in it's small saddle bags, was awkwardly curled up next to the boy, or man as it seemed he was. Young. The horse whinnied at them, bucking it's head a little. It had been trying so desperately to keep the human warm.

The two surged forward, assessing the man. He was gravely injured, probably even dying.

"Take him to the house Stevie" Bucky said lowly, already coaxing the grey stallion to it's feet. "I'll follow with the horse."

He watched as his mate picked up the man, eye's flashing red as he took in a sharp breath.

"Buck-" he choked again.

"I know" Bucky comforted. Because he did know, Steve would have seen it sooner if he wasn't so confused and emotional. The boy, somehow, was their mate.

"Go steve" he prodded. It took a lot longer to reach the house with the tired stallion in tow, but by the time he'd housed, dried and feed the poor creature, he could finally get to his mate and was relieved to hear the boy's heart beat steadied and strong. He walked into the bedroom, a guest room that was never really used, and took his loves hand in his where he sat at the edge of the bed watching the still bruised but alive human sleep.

"Wanda did all she could, healed up the more urgent wounds. I... gave him some of my blood, hopefully he'll be awake by morning" Steve muttered, watching the sleeping figure with a frown. "He was a real mess buck, who would do such a thing?"

Bucky shook his head.

"Maybe he's some major asshole and he's the one that did the thing" he said, though he doubted it, that horse was too well cared for and loving towards the injured man for him to be a bad person. Horses were a good judge of character.

Steve chuckled lowly, hearing his thoughts and shook his head.

"Guess we'll see soon" he said.

"Guess so" Bucky agreed.


	3. What happened to Peggy Carter

It was warm, comfortably so, and everything was light and fluffy and peaceful.

“ _Heaven”_ Tony thought to himself, unwilling to open his eyes just yet.

However, it became more apparent the more he began to wake that he was not, in fact, in heaven. His whole body ached, felt like a singular large bruise, and for a minute he felt like his breath had been stolen.

Tony heard low murmurs, felt shifting around him, and couldn’t help it when he let out a groan of pain when he became fully aware of his body.

“Woahhhh, hey there bud, easy” A voice came with a gentle yet somewhat clumsy pat to his shoulder and Tony finally opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was a grinning man, hair a dirty blonde, sharp keen eyes, fangs- woah what? He blinked up at the man, or, well, vampire. Tony knew about vampire’s, they were rare, and more often used as a fairy tale to scare children, but they were real. His aunty Peggy had been one, had also been beheaded in the middle of his town for a crime she didn’t commit. That had been the beginning of his father’s rampant rampages.

“You all there man?” The vamp in front of him asked, and Tony cleared his throat.

“Yeah, sorry” He winced, his voice was scratchy and weak. “Um, where am I?”

The last he had been aware he was dying in the middle of a stormy forest with Jarvis-

“Jarvis!” Tony shouted, bolting upright, the vampire jumped with an indignant squawk and pushed him back down into the bed.

“Jarvis? S’that the horse? He’s fine don’t worry, Bucky fed and dried him off last night, he’s resting in the stables” the guy grinned again, patting his shoulder for the second time and leaning back.

“I better go get Barnes and Rogers, they’ve been waitin’ for you to wake, said that I had to let them know the moment you did” He nodded to himself, not waiting for tony to reply. “Just one thing before I go though. I know you saw the fangs, but you didn’t even react? Aren’t you guys raised believing vamps are a myth?”

Tony blinked up at him owlishly, this was what he decided to focus on?

“Uh, no, my aunt Peggy was one, dude, where am I?” if he was gonna be giving answers he wanted answers too.

The guys eyes widened, and he let out a low whistle.

“Peggy Carter? Oh man the guys are really gonna wanna meet you. You’re the stark kid, or at least, stark man now yeah? Look, I’m Clint, this is the clan mansion cool? You’re safe here so just… wait there, I’ll be back” and then he- Clint- was gone.

Tony stared at the empty space he had been and took a few deep breaths. How the hell did they know who he was? How long did he have to stay? Why wasn’t he bleeding anymore? Who’s room was this?

“It’s Tony, right? Tony Stark?”

Tony startled as a voice came from the doorway and realised two men stood there, watching him. Two incredibly gorgeous men. _Vampires,_ his mind supplied.

“Yeah, yes that’s me. How did you know?” Tony asked, maybe these two would be better at giving him answers than Clint, he thought. Tony was on high alert, and as hot as the two vampires before him were, as much as they drew him in, he wasn’t about to trust or underestimate them.

They came closer, too fast and he flinched. The blonde one held his hands up placatingly in front of him but looked like a kicked puppy.

“My name is Steve, this is Bucky, or James” Steve said, and Tony felt hit full force with recognition, piecing things together. These guys were aunt _Peggy’s_ Steven Rogers and James “Bucky” Barnes.

“You guys were friends with Aunt Peggy… and Howard” Tony muttered, and they nodded enthusiastically, albeit haltingly at the mention of him using his father’s name.

“That’s right doll” The darker haired one, Bucky, responded.

Tony swallowed hard, these guys we’re practically war legends, lovers of the gods, meant for each other hero’s holy crap.

“I-I know exactly who you guys are, Peggy used to tell me storied when I was a kid, bed time stories, sometimes Howard would join in. She said she’d bring me here one day and Introduce you guys too me but…” Tony clenched his hands, remembering the sound of her head hiding the town square ground.

“She disappeared” Steve sighed, sitting on the bed heavily at Tony’s feet.

He frowned.

“Disappeared?” Tony tilted his head.

“Well she never showed back up here, we assumed she stayed with Howard but when she didn’t show up we went looking, came to the town, your father said she had left” Bucky said, rubbing his fingers into Steve’s tense shoulders. Both of them froze when they looked up at Tony and saw the murderous expression there.

“You should never have trusted my father, he is a liar through and through” He hissed.

“Tony what are you-“ Steve started, but Tony cut him off, heart hammering in his chest.

“Peggy is dead” He choked out, looking coldly down at the blankets gripped in his clenched fists. Hot tears blurred his vision, but his next words were harsh and strong, determined. “Peggy is dead and it’s my fathers fault.”


	4. uh... a whole outfit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this all got dark and depressing fast!

The room was silent, and Tony let out a sob.

“My mother is dead because of him too. I was nearly dead, because. Of. Him.” He let out a pitiful whine and hunched over, crying into his hands.

 _“Stark men don’t cry”_ His father had told him while he’d lain blow after blow upon Tony. Tony had cried and begged his father to stop. He was 12, 13, 14. The beatings didn’t stop. One night when Howard had found a box of Peggy and his Maria’s old things, the he nearly killed Tony in his fit of grief and rage. He was 15, 16, 17. The beatings got worse. 18, 19, 20. Howard Drank more and more, the town wrote him off as insane, but never questioned why Tony was always bruised. 21… 22… and here he was. Sobbing in some strangers bed with the old war hero’s Steve and Bucky, watching on and struggling to comprehend the news that their best friend, thought missing for 15 years, was dead.

“Tony” Steve breathed out, sounding strangled and choked with his own emotions, but aware the human in their presence needed more comfort at this time.

“What did he do to you doll?” Bucky asked Gently, sitting beside the crying stark.

“When I was 7 he killed an engineer he was working with in a fit of rage” Tony started, taking deep breaths to try and calm down and explain his story properly. They deserved to hear about why Peggy was dead, and how he was here.

“The scene was brutal, cold… The council and the mayor blamed Aunt Peggy for it, she was the predator that kept visiting, so they never even considered it was someone else. Howard didn’t want to take the blame, so he never said anything. We were all forced to watch in the town square when they beheaded her and burned her body to ashes.

“Howard was angry at everything. At the engineer, the murder, himself, Peggy being blamed. He started taking it out on Mother, always yelling at her, beating her… she became a shell of the woman she was, too weak to even defend herself. When I was 12, he got mad at her for trying to send me away to somewhere safe, hit her, pushed her down the stairs. It killed her” and so he continued, explaining the past 15 years of his life, of getting to breaking point and just running without proper thinking or planning.

By the end, Tony was out of emotions. There was nothing left in him to cry out.

“Did… did no one in the town ever say anything? Surely they must have seen” Steve stuttered out, looking rather pale.

Tony shook his head.

“You really think a town that condemned and innocent woman of murder wouldn’t just look the other way when their resident madman started beating his child?” He laughed coldly. “No, that’s exactly what they did. No one was gonna help me except me. And Jarvis of course”

Bucky rubbed his hand over Tony’s back gently, and Steve took one of Tony’s hands from where it still tightly gripped the bedsheets.

“We’re here to help now, don’t you worry about that” Steve soothed, still looking heartbroken, but there was a time and a place to let it out and now was not it.

“R-really?” Tony asked, looking up at the two hopefully.

Bucky internally cursed. He and Stevie would have to pay Howard a visit very soon.

“Really Doll, anything you want, just ask.”

“I do have a few questions actually” he sighed, but seemed to relax down a bit.

“Anything, ask away” Steve smiled a little, encouraging.

“How the hell am I not still bleeding out everywhere?” Tony blurted out, leaving Steve and Bucky chuckling softly and perhaps a little hungry.

“A bit of Fae magic from Wanda and A bit of Steve’s blood. Don’t worry, it wouldn’t be anywhere near enough or the right method to turn you” Bucky answered.

Tony scoffed, rolling his eyes a little.

“I know that much wouldn’t turn me. Peggy was good at answering a kids excited 101 questions. Don’t be surprised if I know more about being a vampire than the both of you.” The two looked a little surprised but shrugged, this was the stark streak of personality they knew all too well, and it was very much like Peggy to provide info like that, always so helpful. “That brings me to my next question, is it really true you two are soulmates?”

The two tensed, and Steve took a moment before answering.

“Well, yes, I guess” He started, and smiled at Tony’s confused look. “Usually soulmates are like a… pair of socks, two whole beings that match. But it turns out we’re more like uh… a whole outfit?”

Bucky hid his snicker and took over.

“What he’s saying it that soulmates aren’t always just two people, Steve and I are soulmates, yes, but till now we’ve been missing our third soulmate, another individual that matches perfectly with us” He said and snorted lightly at Steve’s sigh of relief.

“Oh that’s… sweet. Do soulmates have to be together? Are you with the person?” He sure had a lot of questions.

Bucky shrugged. “Soulmates are drawn together but well… this person doesn’t know yet, humans tend not to feel the bond so strongly”

Tony frowned.

“Wouldn’t think you guys came across many humans this far away from civilisation”

Steve gave a hopeful look, and tried cautiously “Only ones who run away from psychotic fathers?”

Bucky bit his lip, it was probably far too soon to tell Tony they should just go and-

Tony’s face fluttered with recognition. “Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned! A rollercoaster of emotions and a murder ahead!


	5. Open eyes

Several days passed, quietly, slowly.

After dropping the bomb on him, Steve and Bucky had left to give him space, left him to think things through and heal and settle. Tony had felt horrible for letting them just slip away and not talking with them, but really it was far too sudden and too soon for him to be thinking of soulmates. He needed the space and was glad they gave it to him.

In the meantime, Clint spent his time with Tony, entertaining him, helping him out, talking about the clan. Tony liked him, liked how easy he was to get along with and how snarky he was. They talked for hours about anything and everything when Tony wasn’t sleeping, eating, thinking or generally unavailable to talk. Clint told him how another Vampire, an ‘Elder’, Coulson, had found him as an archer in a travelling circus, forced to work there because of his uncaring older brother. Coulson found him bleeding behind a circus tent when the ringmaster had had a bit too much fun with him, and taken him far, far away.

“He welcomed me to the clan. It was smaller then, just him, Fury, Natasha, a few others. Steve and Bucky joined us later thanks to Peggy, they met during the war. Coulson… he gave me a home you know? Didn’t even tell me we were soulmates until I said I wanted the bite. Was already gone in love for him too” Clint chuckled where he lay next to Tony.

Tony let out a breath of amazement. Clint was strong and he’d been through so much, he was so vibrant and happy. Tony hoped he could have that too.

“How long did it take you to stop sneaking around every corner and looking over your shoulder?” Tony asked quietly, and Clint gave him a sympathetic, understanding look.

“Man it’s been like 70 years and I still do it… It fades over time, but it’s a habit you’ll never quite get past. It’s good though, gives you that edge, keeps you safe” The archer had a distant look in his eyes. “Has saved us more than once, everyone here has got the twitch. When Vampire hunters come sniffing it becomes even more useful”

Tony sighed and shrunk in on himself a little, he didn’t really want to be like this forever. But maybe if it was far less, it’d be better. He was just so twitchy, paranoid.

“How are… how are Steve and Bucky?” He asked tenderly, he hadn’t even brought them up once over the past few days.

Clint winced and Tony knew immediately they were struggling.

“It’s… it’s not good man. I mean they spent the last 15 years searching for Peggy, spent it wondering where she was but at least they thought she was out there doin’ her usual best. It’s just hard on them I guess, they feel like they failed her.” He shrugged and patted Tony’s arm.

“They don’t blame you for anything though, and they’re doing their best to give you space.”

Tony gave a flat smile.

“I probably seem like a moron for avoiding them like this don’t I?” He asked and Clint snorted.

“No, I ignored Coulson for a week when I found out we were soulmates and he hadn’t told me, took Nat 2 days to smack some sense into me” He chuckled again.

Tony gave him a look of alarm.

“What the hell happened? And why didn’t he tell you in the first place?” Tony was curious, and if it stopped him thinking about the devastatingly handsome vampire duo for 5 minutes he’d take it.

“Oh mannnnn” Clint giggled, thinking.

“Basically, He didn’t tell me because he didn’t want my judgment of him to be clouded by the fact that we’re mates. He wanted us to be together because I wanted him, not because I felt like I had to love him because of an uncontrollable bond. I mean, we already had the fact that he rescued me hanging over us, and after I got used to him and learnt to trust him I followed him around like a puppy with a severe case of hero worship for like a month” He shook his head.

“I was so naïve and pissy though, angered that he kept something so big from me but now? I’m glad he did, it made such a difference, he was giving me a choice. But I ignored him, Natasha got sick of him moping about the place and snapping at everyone. Spent the two days throwing objects at me and telling me to stop being a little bitch and go get my man already”

Tony laughed, eye’s a little watery.

“Then what happened?” He asked eagerly.

“I went to him when I realised I was being stupid and he turned me that night, didn’t let me out of bed for two weeks for ignoring him. We’ve been inseparable since!”

Tony sighed, it sounded nice.

But it made him think then, of Steve and Bucky. Wasn’t he being just as unfair? Doing what Phil hadn’t wanted Clint to do?

Clint smiled at him, understanding.

“I’ve been an idiot” He sighed. “I don’t know Bucky and Steve, all I know is war stories, I’ve had stars in my eyes over them since I was a kid, and now I’m here and I know that I’m their mate and all I’ve been focusing on is how it’s too much and that I’m not good enough, instead of just forgetting all that and getting to know them as people”

Tony rubbed a hand over his face, exasperated with himself.

“Don’t get too caught up on the self-hate Tony. It’s understandable yeah?” Clint sat up and ruffled Tony’s hair.

“Clint, hunt time”

Tony jumped and saw a head popped around the door, a rather attractive man stood there, and based on the soft smile he was giving Clint, and the Lovestruck look Clint was giving him, Tony guessed it to be Phil Coulson.

“Sure thing” the archer said as he jumped up from the bed, shooting Tony finger guns and clicking his tongue.

“Hello Tony” Phil said gently, and Tony waved back. “We have to go out, but Wanda will be coming in soon to keep you company if you’d like?”

Tony wanted to say no, wanted to hide from the new person in fear and avoid everyone but he wanted to get better, wanted to make friends and get to know people, so he nodded.

The older man smiled softly and left with Clint.

He wrung his hands into the bed anxiously, grimacing as the sore, healing skin around his knuckles tugged. He was so almost there with healing but his father had really done a number, be found he was still very bruised, and felt like he had pulled several muscles that were only getting worse before they got better.

A knock came at the door and Tony looked up at the woman with a wobbly smile. She moved slowly, cautiously, in a way that showed she wasn’t there to hurt him and he relaxed.

“Hi, Wanda, right?” He asked, internally cursing when his voice broke.

She gave him a sweet smile and nodded.

“Are you in pain” She asked.

He shrugged, but like she could read his thoughts she frowned and gently took his hands, his pain faded and he watched in amazement as his skin healed a bit more. That’s right, Wanda was one of the ones to heal him.

“Th-thank you!” He stuttered, flexing his hands. “A lot, for the first time too, they said you helped, a lot, so yeah, thanks”

He nearly hit himself over how stupid he sounded. She chuckled nonetheless.

“You’re most welcome Tony”

“So you’re not a vampire?” He asked for lack of better conversation, and she nodded.

“I am born from Fae, but raised as a human. I used to live in a small town, Ultron, before it was destroyed by war. I very nearly died” She confided with a soft look.

“I’m sorry to hear that” his voice came out in a whisper, he could see the way her form hunched in pain at the memories.

She smiled again. “Steve and Bucky found me, saved my life”

Again, Steve and Bucky, war heros, his mates, his saviours- no, vampires. Vampire’s he knows next to nothing about but would like to get to know for the people they are.

“They’re good men” she said quietely, making herself more comfortable on the bed. Tony sensed that she knew of the war he was waging with himself in his head.

“Steve is kind and patient, he can hardly cook but he is an incredible artist. Bucky is straightforward but once he cares for you, he will move heaven and hell for you, and he can cook and bake up a feast like you’ve never seen before”

Tony chuckled. “That wouldn’t be hard, haven’t seen much in the way of feasts since I was 6, I hardly remember”

Wanda tensed a little but squeezed his hand in sympathy and continued.

“I know it’s a lot but, they are willing to be patient and give you as much space as you need” Wanda finally said, shrugging mostly to herself.

He hesitated, biting his lip.

“Do…do you have a mate?”

She smiled and flushed happily.

“Yes, vision, he’s… a shapeshifter, harmless though, I promise” her voice was cautious and he knew why.

“A shapeshifter? Incredible!” Tony was astounded, such beings were rarer than Vampires or even the fae, and tended to blend in and hide their true nature. “Can he turn into anything? Or is it limited? Is he immortal too?”

Wanda laughed softly in relief.

“He is not immortal but, as his mate, I have chosen to share my immortality with him, should I die though, he would also and vice versa” Wanda looked out the window with a gentle sigh. “I don’t mind though, I would not want to live without him. And yes, he can shape shift into any living creature, only animals or similar things though. He does like dragon form”

Tony’s eyes sparkled.

“Now that I have to see” They both laughed, and Tony relaxed back onto the bed.

“Rest Tony, the others will not be back for quite awhile, they have gone to feed. They feed on animals, almost never kill them though. Those who are mated need a lot less to feed anyway as they tend to feed on each other for the most part”

He nodded, it did make sense.

They settled in to wait, simple questions being passed back and forth, and soon, Tony slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a filler chapter, a bit of info dump, hope you enjoyed it all the same!


End file.
